Hats off to residents

Notting Hill Housing’s extra care residents have been using their heads to raise money for a good cause, creating pom pom hats on sale in time for Christmas.

A group from Elmgrove House, in Hammersmith, have spent much of 2015 creating multi-coloured pom poms with activities officer Chloe Burrow – and now they are being put to good use.

A range of pom pom hats – being made under the label Vintage Peoples – are available now, just in time to make a great Christmas present as the winter chill sets in.

The hats can be bought from online ethical retailer ethicalcollection.com, which was set up by Notting Hill Housing volunteer Giovanna Eastwood.

Speaking about how the project came about, Chloe said: “Our residents at Elmgrove have been making pom poms with me all year, so when I met Giovanna we started talking about ways to make them into a product to benefit the Hardship Fund.”

The Hardship Fund helps residents with things like replacing broken fridges, putting food on the table and starter packs when moving from a hostel to a new home.

Giovanna added: “I made a call out on Facebook for knitters to get involved, and that is how we found Liz, the first person to take part.”It is hoped that the collective will be expanded to include all Notting Hill Housing residents in the New Year.

For more information, visit http://ethicalcollection.com/pages/vintage-peoples and to see the hats on sale, visit http://ethicalcollection.com/collections/vintage-peoples-collection